Francis Amasa Walker was a precocious child and entered Amherst College aged 15, graduating with an AB in Law in 1860. He chose a military career and had the rank of General while still in his twenties. After leaving the army, Walker did important work developing national censuses and spent a year as US Commissioner for Indian Affairs. He then chose an academic career and taught at Yale from 1873 to 1881. Finally, in 1881, Walker became president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While there, he became involved in the public debate over bimetallism, which he strongly supported. Walker died in office in 1897.